p2pnet.net News:- Names, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers and the dates of birth of everyone in California who provided or received care under the state’s In-Home Supportive Services program since 2001 were on a data base cracked by an intruder, says a SecurityFocus report.

Anyone in the program since 2001 should contact the three major credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on their credit profiles, and start monitoring their credit reports for signs of identity theft, it warns.

Officials haven’t determined if the the database, opened to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, under a confidentiality agreement, was downloaded, says SecurityFocus. But, “Since it is sensitive data we figured it would be best to get word out to people so they can take preventive measures just in case,” Carlos Ramos, assistant secretary of the state’s Health and Human Services Agency, is quoted as saying.

The intruder used a known vulnerability to crack the university system on August 1, but wasn’t detected until August 30, says the story, adding, “Ramos says the university didn’t notify the agency until late September; the university says it reported the attack to the state within two weeks of discovery”.

Ramos says California has withdrawn the researchers’ access to the database

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See:-

fraud alert - California reports massive data breach, SecurityFocus, October 19, 2004

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